Electric car statistics - data and projections

As online car sales specialists, we know many people have questions around electric cars. We've created this essential guide showcasing the latest electric vehicle statistics, highlighting key trends and the reasons behind EVs' growing popularity.

What are the Key Statistics for Electric Cars in 2024?

• 314,687 electric cars were sold in 2023 in the UK - its best year for EV sales.
• As of October 2024, 1 in 5 BEV models in the UK retail for less than the average petrol or diesel car.
• Electric cars accounted for 17.8% of UK new car registrations in 2023. Petrol was the most popular fuel choice, with a 40.7% market share. 
• A typical electric car takes eight hours to fully charge from empty at a 'fast' 7kW charge point.
• Many electric cars are compatible with 'rapid' 50kW chargers, which adds 100 miles of range in around 35 minutes.
• As of May 2024, there are 62,536 public electric vehicle charging devices available in the UK, including 12,249 rapid EV chargers.
• As of October 2023 in the UK, Scotland has the highest number of EV charging devices per 100,000 of the population (77), followed by England (68.7), Wales (66) and Northern Ireland (22.6).
• The original Nissan Leaf was the first EV to enjoy mainstream success. Launched in 2011, the Leaf combined family car practicality with a maximum range of 100 miles.
• The Mercedes-Benz EQS has the best maximum EV range in 2024, covering up to 452 miles on a single charge.
• The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling car in the world in 2023, with more than 1.2 million units delivered.
• EVs and hybrids passed 16% of all light-duty vehicle sales in 2023. 
• 6.3 million EVs are expected to be sold in Europe by 2025. 
• An estimated 16.7 million electric vehicles will be sold worldwide in 2024. 

Electric Cars in 2024: Global Overview and Forecast

So far in 2024, electric car sales have remained strong, continuing the upward trend from 2023, a year where almost 14 million new EVs were registered globally. EV sales in 2024 could reach around 17 million, an increase of more than 20% compared to 2023.

What percentage of new cars are electric? The percentage of electric cars in the world has increased dramatically in recent years; they are expected to account for over a fifth of all new car sales in 2024.

Highlighting the rapid growth of the EV market is that EV sales in 2023 were more than 6 times higher than in 2018.

In the UK, 1.9 million new cars were registered in 2023 – a figure 17.9% up on 2022 due to the easing of the global semiconductor chip shortage. Of these, 314,687 were EVs. To get more detail, our guide to car sales stats explains all. 

• Electric car sales increased by 35% in 2023.
• Electric car sales are now second only to petrol cars in the UK.
• In 2024, 25% of all new registered vehicles in Europe will be electric. 
• China will remain the world’s largest EV market in 2024. 
• More than one in ten new vehicles sold in 2024 will be electric-powered.
• More battery electric vehicles (BEV) were sold in 2023 in the UK than ever before with 314,687 registrations (16.5% of all new car sales), while plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) made up 7.4% or 141,311 cars. 
• Seven electric car manufacturers, including Volvo, Mercedes, and Nissan, announced plans to make their vehicles compatible with Tesla’s supercharging network. 
• Since May 2023, the number of rapid and ultra-rapid public charging devices has increased almost 45%.

How many electric cars are made each year?

In 2024, it's estimated that around 17 million electric cars will be sold globally, a 20% year-on-year increase on 2023's 14 million sales.

10.1 million EVs are expected to be sold in China alone, accounting for more than 60% of estimated global sales.

In the UK, over 314,000 EVs were sold in 2023. And as of June 2024, 167,096 EVs have been sold, a 9.2% increase from the same point last year.

What percentage of cars are electric?

As of December 2024, 18.7% of car sales in the UK are EVs.

How many electric cars in the world? Globally, electric cars accounted for around 18% of all new car sales in 2023, with almost 14 million units sold. 95% of those sales occurred in Europe, China and the United States. 2023 EV sales were more than six times higher than in 2018.

Latest EV News

A recent report highlighted that exclusively fast-charging an EV in the UK costs drivers an average of $1000 (£766) more than petrol. Charging an EV at home saves drivers between $510 (£390) and $1200 (£919) over petrol.

The number of BEVs is predicted to grow from 1.3 million (as of September 2024) to 7 million by 2030 and then 22 million by 2040. That number of EVs would require 7 times the amount of electricity at ultra-fast chargers by 2030.

Lancashire County Council estimates that it will need 8 times as many electric vehicle charging points by 2030. 817 were in operation as of July 2024 - an extra 6,665 are estimated to be needed to meet demand by the end of the decade.

Want to know how much your road tax will be for your EV in 2025? Check out our guide to the latest VED car tax rates.

New Electric Car Sales in 2023

At the end of 2023, people in China accounted for approximately 50% of all electric cars. With combined sales of over half a million units, BYD ATTO 3, BYD Dolphin, and GAC Aion S were some of the most popular models among Chinese consumers in 2023.  

The Tesla Model Y was Europe’s best-selling EV, with over 254,000 sales. The sales of new electric vehicles in Canada and the United States increased by 46% in 2023 compared to 2022. 

Used Electric Car Sales in 2023

• The value of second-hand Tesla, Ford, and GM EVs in the US decreased by 28% in 2023. 
• In the US, EVs lose around 49.5% of the value after 3 years. The industry average (with ICE cars) is 42%.
• Volkswagen EVs were the most popular in the UK's used electric car market. 
• Used BEV sales increased by nearly 100% in Q3 of 2023 in the UK to over 34,000.  BEVs accounted for 1.8% of the used car market in the quarter, up from 1.0% at the same point in 2022.

How many used electric cars were sold in 2023?

Demand for used electric cars is growing. 2023 saw used EV sales increase by 37.5%, while the year ended with an estimated 975,000 electric cars on the road in the UK and 590,000 plug-in hybrids (PHEVs). As a comparison, just 4,891 diesel cars were registered in December 2023 – a mere 3.5% market share. 

• 118,973 used all-electric vehicles were sold in the UK in 2023. 
• Hybrid vehicles were more popular than pure electric vehicles in the UK’s used EV market, as 221,859 second-hand hybrids changed hands in the UK compared to 118,973 pure electric models.
• The Nissan Leaf was the UK’s most sought-after used EV in 2023. 
• BEVs represented 1.8% of the UK’s used vehicle market.  

Electric Car Sales UK

EV sales in the UK have steadily risen in recent years. 314,687 EVs were sold in 2023, a 17.8% increase on 2022 sales and commanding a 16.5% share of the UK market. It's a trend continuing in 2024, with sales in the first 6 months of the year 9.2% higher than the same point in 2023.

Alongside EVs, 2023 saw an increase in the number of self-charging hybrid cars, up 27.1% on 2022 with 238,942 registrations. The number of PHEV (plug-in hybrid cars) also increased by 39.3% year-on-year with 141,311 registrations.

The most popular EV in the UK in 2023 was the Tesla Model Y, which accounted for more than 10% of all EV sales that year. 

However, while new EV sales are up in 2024 compared to 2023, these sales have largely been driven by fleets - private BEV uptake is down by 10.8% so far in 2024, with more than 4 in 5 BEV sales going to fleets.

Used EV's are also becoming more popular, with transactions increasing by 71% in Q1 2024. Used HEV sales also grew by 49.3%, with 74,502 hybrid cars finding new owners. 22,065 used PHEVs were sold in Q1 2024, a 42.5% rise. 

As to the question 'How many electric cars in the UK?' - 2024 has seen the UK's millionth EV registered, with new EV sales in the first 7 months of the year up 18.8% compared to 2023.

As of July 2024, electric vehicles are forecast to make up 18.5% of all new cars sales in the UK by the end of 2024. So far this year, the percentage of electric cars sold in the UK is up 18.8% compared to the same period in 2023.

EV Car Sales UK 2024

• 167,096 EVs were sold in the UK in the first 6 months of 2024, 9.2% more than in the same period in 2023. This is alongside 81,522 PHEVs and 137,838 HEVs.
• The Tesla Model Y was the fourth best-selling car in the UK in September, with 5,799 units sold.
• As of September, the Tesla Model Y is also the ninth best-selling car in the UK in 2024, with 23,495 units sold so far this year.
• EV sales were up 18.8% in July, commanding almost two-fifths of the UK new car sales market for the month.
• September 2024 saw the highest number of BEV registrations ever in the UK - 56,387. 
• EVs accounted for 20.5% of all new car sales in the UK in September.
• As of October 2024, BEVs account for 18.1% of new car sales, with sales up 14.2% compared to the same point in 2023.

What is the best-selling EV in the UK 2024?

The Tesla Model Y is currently the best-selling EV in the UK. 27,697 have been sold in the first 11 months of 2024, making it the ninth most-popular new car overall in the UK.

What percentage of UK car sales are electric?

As of September 2024, electric cars make up 17.8% of all new car sales in the UK this year. 269,931 EVs have been sold so far in 2024, a 13.2% increase from the same point in 2023. Together with PHEVs (8.3%) and HEVs (13.7%), cars with an electric motor account for 39.8% of UK's new car sale market.

The 10 Best-Selling EVs in 2023

1. Tesla Model Y (35,899)
2. MG4 (21,715)
3. Audi Q4 e-tron (16,757)
4. Tesla Model 3 (13,536)
5. Polestar 2 (12,542)
6. Volkswagen ID.3 (10,295)
7. Kia Niro EV (10,084)
8. BMW i4 (8940)
9. Volkswagen ID.4 (8495)
10. Skoda Enyaq (8136)

The 10 Best-Selling EVs in 2022

The Tesla Model Y was the best-selling electric car in 2022, replacing the Tesla Model 3 which lead the way in 2021. Below are the 10 best electric cars 2022 in terms of sales:

1. Tesla Model Y (35,551)
2. Tesla Model 3 (19,071)
3. Kia e-Niro (11,197)
4. VW ID.3 (9832)
5. Nissan Leaf (9178)
6. MINI Electric (7425)
7. Polestar 2 (7345)
8. MG5 (7030)
9. BMW i4 (6699)
10. Audi Q4 e-tron (6594)

What percentage of UK cars are electric?

At the start of 2024, EVs made up roughly 3% of all vehicles registered on UK roads - there were around 33.58 million cars in the UK at the start of the year, of which around 1 million were EVs. That percentage will likely increase through 2024, especially as EVs are predicted to make up 18.5% of new cars sales this year.

As of November, BEVs have an 18.7% market share of UK new car sales in 2024 - equating to 338,314 vehicles, a 17.9% increase compared to the same period in 2023.

How many electric car charging stations are there in the UK?

At the end of October 2024, there were 71,459 EV charging points in the UK. These devices provide 108,633 electric car charging connectors. As of January 2024, 59% of all charging devices were slow electric car charging stations. 

EV charging infrastructure in the UK is growing at a rapid rate, with new charging points being added daily. The scope of the nation’s electric car charging network has increased by 47% between February 2023 and February 2024. 

How many electric car charging locations are there in the UK?

There are 36,060 EV charging locations in the UK as of October 2024. This number includes devices that are classed as slow (3-5kW), fast (7-22kW), rapid (25-99kW) and ultra-rapid (100kW). 

Currently, the UK has 5,179 rapid charging locations with access to 12,752 fast and rapid charging devices. 136 ultra-rapid charging devices were installed in February 2024. 

In addition, EV drivers can park and charge their cars at private locations through platforms like YourParkingSpace.co.uk. It currently has over 5,000 private spaces at 1,736 locations on its platform for EV drivers. There are an estimated 700,000 private electric charging locations in the UK, installed either at home or a workplace. 

How much does it cost to install an electric car charger in the UK?

EV owners in the UK must spend around £1,000 to install a 7kW fast charger in their home or approximately £650, including the charger and the labour cost if they’re eligible for the government grant. The cost of trenching (installing cables underground) is £30 per meter or more, depending on the terrain. A 3kW slow charger is a more affordable option as its average home installation price ranges between £250 and £500. 

How much does it cost to charge an electric car in the UK?

The cost of charging an electric car is approximately £5 per 100 miles, provided that the cost of electricity is 18p per kWh and that the vehicle can travel at least 3.5 miles per kWh. Fully charging an EV with a 60 kWh battery at home costs approximately £17, while recharging an electric car at a supermarket or a car park costs approximately £26. The rapid charging service costs around £19 for a 30-minute charge. Most EV owners in the UK can use charging stations installed at their work for free. 

How much does it cost to replace an electric car battery in the UK?

Despite projections indicating that their prices should continue to decrease in 2024, batteries remain among the most expensive electric car components. As of January 2024, replacing an electric car battery in the UK costs £109.25 per kWh or £7,235. 

Fortunately, most EV owners won’t have to replace their car’s battery during their vehicle’s lifespan due to their longevity. 

Is it a good time to buy an EV?

EV market growth is expected to accelerate in the coming years as the UK prepares itself for the 2035 ban on new petrol and diesel vehicle sales. Following a big investment in the UK’s charging infrastructure, and with a greater range of EVs available than ever before, we think there has never been a better time to buy a new or used EV. 

In 2024 EVs will outsell every type of fuel except petrol, which is set to remain the most popular fuel choice for both new and used car buyers for the next few years. Diesel is expected to become a niche choice over time as drivers opt for cleaner and cheaper plug-in alternatives.

Supporting increasing UK EV sales has been the expanding range of electric vehicles on sale, with manufacturers scrambling to offer as many models as possible with plug-in variants. 

Carmakers like Nissan, Tesla, Ford and Vauxhall have all expanded their model line ups to include affordable plug-in models and EVs. Premium carmaker Volkswagen has gone one step further and created the electric-only ID. range while Mercedes-Benz has created its innovative Mercedes-EQ models.

International EV Statistics

• It's estimated that around 17 million EVs will be sold worldwide in 2024.
• In 2023, more than 250,000 EVs were registered every week around the world.
• BYD sold more than 500,000 vehicles globally in October (502,657 to be precise), both passenger and commercial vehicles - all of which were either fully electric or plug-in hybrids.
  • However, just 31,192 vehicles were outside of China.

Electric Cars in Europe Statistics

Europe is one of the largest markets for EVs, with 6.7 million being sold on the continent in 2023. BEVs were the third most popular choice among European EV buyers, partly driven by a rapid increase in available models - buyers in the EU in 2018 had a choice of just 29 models. In 2023, that number had increased to 371, a 1179% increase in just 5 years.

• The European plug-in electric vehicle market grew by 15% between 2021 and 2022.
• Hybrid electric car registrations rose by 26% in December due to large increase in registrations of these vehicles in Europe’s largest markets, Germany (+38%), France (32.6%) and Spain (24.3%).
• As of June 2023, the EU had the second-largest electric car charging infrastructure, with over 560,000 public charging points installed in its member states.
• Battery electric vehicles reached 14.6% of Europe’s car market share. 
• 1.5 million battery electric cars were sold in the EU in 2023, while 2.7 million hybrid-electric vehicles were sold during the same period. 
• The Tesla Model Y is expected to remain Europe’s most popular electric car in 2024. 
• The average price of an EV across Europe is around €46,000. The average range is about 346 miles.

Norway Electric Car Statistics

Electric vehicles are hugely popular in Norway, predicted to reach 95% market share in 2024. 

• Norway’s EV market is expected to generate $11.2 billion in 2024. 
• 81.6% of all new vehicles registered in Norway in 2023 were BEVs. 
• There were 689,196 electric passenger vehicles and 29,612 light commercial electric vehicles in Norway at the end of 2023. 
• As of November 2023, the Tesla Model Y was the most popular electric car in Norway. 
• It is predicted that the country will reach 100% zero-emission car sales by 2025. 

Electric Cars in the US

• The EV market in the US is expected to be worth $82.4 billion by the end of 2024. 
• 7.6% of all cars sold in the US in 2023 were electric. 
• Currently, there are approximately 2.88 million EVs on the roads in the US, which is around 1% of all vehicles on the nation’s roads. 
• 1.28 million EV units are forecasted to be sold in the US during 2024. This number should increase to 2.46 million units by 2028. 
• The US EV market is the second largest in the world. 
• Total electric vehicle registrations is 2.44 million in 2024 - about 0.86% of all registered cars in the US.
• Tesla controls a 56.53% share of the US EV market. 
• 35% of all new electric cars in the US were registered in California. 
• 1.179 million all-electric cars were sold in California in Q4 2023 - it was the most popular state for EVs.
• 105,258 electric vehicles were sold in the United States in January 2024. 

Electric Car Safety Statistics

• Less than 1% of all car fires are electric vehicle fires. 
• Thermal runaway within the battery is one of the most common causes of electric car fires. 
• 20% of fires reported in the United States in 2019 were electric vehicle or internal combustion engine vehicle fires. 
• Hybrid cars are more likely to catch fire than electric or ICE vehicles.
• A passenger EV battery has 0.0012% chance of catching fire. 
• Putting out an electric car fire can take over five hours. 
• Over 80 people have died in Tesla car fire incidents since 2014. 

How do electric vehicles work?

Electric cars are battery-powered vehicles that run on electricity 100% of the time. Unlike petrol, diesel or hybrid vehicles, electric cars do not have a combustion engine; instead, EVs use an electric motor and a rechargeable battery.

As with petrol and diesel cars, the advertised range of an EV varies depending on driving style. Weather conditions also impact the range of an electric car, along with the use of in-car heating and air conditioning. 

A typical electric car will travel between 100 - 200 miles on a single charge, while premium models like the Tesla Model S or the Polestar 2 are capable of covering around 300 miles before you need to plug the car in for a recharge. The Mercedes EQS claims to manage 452 miles on a single charge.

Electric cars feature smart energy recovery technology, which automatically tops up the battery by converting kinetic energy into electricity (when braking or travelling down a hill).

Recharging the battery in an electric car is often a lengthy process – most EVs require eight or nine hours for a full charge from a 7kW wall box. However, many EVs have a 'rapid charge' function that uses a higher voltage to charge the battery to 80% of its charge in around 40 minutes.

What are the different types of electric vehicles?

There are 3 main types of electric vehicle:

Battery electric vehicles (BEVs or just EVs): These cars are powered by an electric battery only and typically have a range of 100 - 200 miles - this average is increasing every year as manufacturers release more models.

Plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs): Unlike EVs, plug-in hybrid cars are powered by a combination of electricity and fossil fuel (petrol or diesel). PHEVs have a smaller battery than pure electric cars, which means they have a maximum EV range of 15 - 30 miles. When the battery is empty the combustion engine will power the vehicle until the battery is recharged again.

Hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs): Hybrid vehicles can only be driven a few miles on pure electricity. A hybrid car has no plug, instead, it recovers energy under braking and uses it to recharge its battery on the move. Most of the power comes an internal combustion engine.

What is the cheapest electric car?

The Citroen Ami is the cheapest electric car in 2024, starting at £7,695. Models like Smart EQ Fortwo and BYD Dolphin are available for over £20,000. The MG ZS EV is the most affordable electric SUV in 2024. 

How much pollution do electric cars produce?

Electric cars produce 2,727 lbs of CO2 equivalent per year (this occurs during production, as EVs don't produce greenhouse gases as a byproduct of propulsion), while ICE cars produce 12,594 lbs of CO2 equivalent annually. 

• At least 70% of recycled EV battery materials are reused. 
• All electric vehicles produce zero tailpipe emissions. 

What are electric car batteries made of?

The key components of lithium-ion batteries that power electric cars are carbon, lithium and metal oxide. The anode, cathode, lithium ions, separator, and electrolyte are the main components of the EV battery, and they’re made of environmentally damaging materials. 

What minerals are used in electric car batteries?

An electric car battery contains base metals like iron, aluminium and copper, as well as precious metals like cobalt, manganese and nickel. All EV batteries also contain lithium salt and graphite. Extraction of these metals is expensive, which is a part of the reason electric cars are expensive.